Which Browser is Best?

Which Browser is Best?

I get asked this loaded question frequently. It's loaded because there is no one right answer, and because whichever one I propose will soon likely have some flaw reported that smears its good name. 

So instead of pointing to one, I usually answer like a psychotherapist, tossing a question back: What do you use the browser for? 

Because practically speaking, that's what matters most. For example, some of my clients found Internet Explorer worked best when viewing certain sites they liked. So there it is: use that browser for that purpose. 

Here are some more specific tips:

Google Chrome
For users of Google's Gmail and Google Docs, I recommend Google Chrome. It seems to work best for that purpose.

Mozilla Firefox
For general browsing, I recommend Firefox. It's mostly stable and Mozilla is intent on keeping it as secure as possible. 

Microsoft IE (Internet Explorer) 
I have always found Internet Explorer kind of clunky; but that's just me. If it works well for you, then use it. It's pretty much built-in to Windows. 

Microsoft Edge
This comes with Windows 10. It's sleeker than IE and many users report liking it once they get used to it. 

Update and Refresh
The most important aspect of using any browser these days is keeping it updated. This provides protection against the known exploits that target a specific browser's weak points. You can also refresh/reset browsers when they get buggy. You may lose some of your customization afterwards, but the performance boost is worth it. 

Minimize plug-in use
Another rule of thumb is to minimize the plug-ins you install in a browser, such as the Adobe Flash Player plug in. These are also exploited when not kept current. (I do recommend the Privacy Badger and HTTPS Everywhere plug-ins.)

A Brave new browser
Recently I've been test driving a new browser called Brave. It is a cleanly designed browser with easy-to use privacy and security settings. 

Brave is open source and blocks online ads and other trackers. Unlike traditional browsers where ad-blocking takes place via a third-party add-on or extension, Brave’s browser has this technology built in, which should offer users more privacy and increased speed and performance.

Segmented browsing
My current approach to using browsers is to limit what I do with each one. As mentioned above, I use Chrome primarily for Gmail and Google Docs, and a few other business-only sites. I use Firefox for my personal email, calendar, and personal banking.

I use Edge and Explorer for some other personal Gmail accounts.

I use Brave for all other browsing, web research etc.

Why segment? For one, it keeps me focused on the kind of tasks I'm doing based on which browser I'm in. Chrome=work. IE=youtube watching. Brave=websurfing. 

Also, if I visit a poisoned site which infects my browser, the damage may be limited to that browser, so I can sanitize the infection more easily. (A counter argument could pose that using several browsers enlarges the "attack surface" for malware and hackers, as having more software means more attention to keeping it current.)

A separate tablet or laptop
Another type of "segmenting" I recommend for professionals like doctors, lawyers, etc. is to dedicate one computer to work-related web use. Then use either a tablet or a small laptop, like a Chromebook, for personal websurfing and email while on the office network. The Chromebook is less likely to get infected or hacked due to its operating system, and even if it were, there would be minimal data on it. Plus it can easily be "power washed" to remove any infections.  

Use what works best and is safest
With the rapid evolution of a variety of web services as well as rampant hacking and malware distribution, browser makers are hustling to keep pace by providing sound software products. We users just gotta keep up with what works best and is safest for our purposes. There's no one best solution. 

Thanks for reading.
Sam

p.s. if you're hungry for more detailed info on the browsers mentioned in this article and the many others omitted, check this wikipedia link.

---

If you haven't already, you can subscribe to our email tips by visiting www.kokuadigital.com and entering your name, email, and "add to email list" in the request form, then click Send.